Get Off the Floor

04/30/2009 05:00PM
● Published by Super Admin

There’s nothing new about using tile for a flooring surface. For years,
homeowners have enjoyed tile’s durability in handling foot traffic. But
more and more designers are receiving requests from homeowners to get
creative with their tile designs: on backsplashes, fireplaces, even
walls.

Kara Grannes, interior designer with Interiors by
Decorating Den and BrushStrokes, Inc. in Folsom has seen this increase
in alternative uses for tile over the past eight years as a member of
the National Kitchen and Bath Association. “Especially living in
California,” she says, “there are wonderful influences of Spanish,
Italian and Moroccan styles,” toward which homeowners gravitate –
styles that lend themselves to tile work on surfaces other than floors.

Popular Projects“Many
homeowners are using ceramic tile and natural stone in areas of their
home where they want to make a statement,” says Michael Bennett, owner
of Bennett Tile Company in Roseville, and member of both the Placer
County and Sacramento Builders Associations. He says that he’s tiled
baths to give the aesthetic of a Roman spa, and even tiled the walls in
his own laundry room. “I will never have to paint that room again
because of scuff marks from coming in and out of the garage,” he says.
Decorative kitchen backsplashes and tiled wall mosaics have also gained
popularity over the last few years.

But homeowners aren’t
just sticking to tiling indoors. Outdoor projects like backyard
kitchens counters, fireplaces, and even exterior walls allow people to
show off their design taste. “Use of unique color combinations, sizes,
and textures can create a design that fits a homeowner’s personality
and lifestyle,” says Joe Pestoni, a 20-year licensed tile installer and
owner/CEO of Elegant Tile in El Dorado.

Why Tile?In
this economy, it is important that home improvement projects be cost
effective and long lasting. As Pestoni points out, unlike other design
mediums, “repairs and replacements [of tile] are easy. If there is a
crack in the countertop, no problem! Just replace the cracked tile(s)
rather than the entire countertop.” Besides easy maintenance,
ceramic tile can be considered a “green” product. The products used to
make ceramic tile and the products used to install it do not emit VOCs
or harmful vapors in the environment, which pleases earth-conscious
consumers. “Installed properly, ceramic tile lasts a lifetime, which
keep future replacement costs down and landfills clear,” says Bennett.

Plus,
the variety of aesthetics is endless. “There are tiles made to look
like wood, without the maintenance of wood. There are ceramic tiles
made to look like natural stone. This can keep the cost down, [and] the
‘wow factor’ in,” Grannes says.

Like what you're reading? Subscribe to the Style - El Dorado County free newsletter to stay informed